1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable, hand-operated drainage device for use in evacuating water from a water receptacle such as the bowl and tank of a toilet.
2. State of the Art
Small, hand-held devices for draining or otherwise removing or transporting liquids from a first location to a second location are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 238,136 (Manwaring) describes and illustrates a hand-operated siphon pump having a pair of check-valves positioned inside a main tube. A hand-operated vacuum lift pump and siphon for handling liquids is similarly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,826 (Beckerer). Unlike the Manwaring and Becker pumps, U.S. Pat. No. 2,640,431 (Neal) discloses a device that is intended for use as, among other things, a toilet bowl siphon pump. U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,966 (Bley) also discloses a pump that may be used for draining a toilet bowl. The devices described in the above noted patents show both hand and power operated pumps that may be used to transport water, for example, from one tank to another or from the bilge of a boat to the surrounding water. The Neal and Bley pumps disclose removal of water from a toilet bowl. However, they cannot be operated to remove all of the water in the bowl because there is a mismatch in the shapes of the various inlets with the shape of the bottommost portion of the bowl. Those devices that employ tubing as inlets, moreover, are cumbersome as an extra hand is required to properly position the tubing inlet while, at the same time, operating the pump. The need for a power source and motor is also a disadvantage, as batteries must be replaced and the motors and the impellers driven by the motors may wear out.